1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to barbecuing, particularly flavor additives for barbecuing.
2. Prior Art
There is a recognized need to provide means for flavoring food cooked in barbecue ovens and the like. Certain woods--for example, hickory--impart a particularly delicious flavor to foods cooked in their smoke. In an effort to provide foolproof methods of flavoring barbecue cooked foods with such smoke, several solutions have been suggested.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,916,365 to Smith discloses a barbecue fuel prepared by coating a fuel element--for example, wood--with an adhesive, and then coating the adhesive with powdered charcoal. The resulting fuel burns more slowly than the uncoated wood, allowing better utilization of the flavor in the wood.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,102,653 issued to Simmonds discloses briquettes of wood that are treated to eliminate flaming and control combustion.
One problem common to all the blocks made by these various problems is bacteria and fungi. Bacteria and fungi can destroy the aromatic constituents of the flavoring blocks and add bad tasting and potentially poisonous products in their place. Another problem is that all previous blocks are dry, and the smoke they produce is fairly moisture free. Moisture is desirable since many flavoring agents are readily steam distillable.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,709,700 to Ross discloses a smoke flavoring additive. A desired flavoring agent is mixed with an adhesive and applied to the outside surface of either wood or charcoal fuel elements.
In both of these disclosures, the additive is applied to the outside of the fuel element. Although the existence of the coating may slow the combustion of the fuel element, once the coating is gone, the element will burn as rapidly as an uncoated element. Furthermore, if a flavor ingredient has been added to the coating, once the coating has burned, the flavor is gone.
The inventor has discovered a new method of flavoring for barbecue cooking.